Throughout its long tenure in southwest Missouri, Dewitt and Associates has worked to forge strong customer relationships. It is to these enduring work partnerships, as well as the tenacity of the company itself, that DeWitt and Associates credits its success. The company was founded in 1959 as DeWitt-Newton and became DeWitt and Associates in 1973. The general contracting firm does a variety of commercial work, from constructing churches to building manufacturing plants, but is most often recognized for its considerable body of work in the health and education fields. “Many people associate us just with St. John’s, because that has been a major emphasis for us. But we are also on about our 20th project for (Southwest Missouri State University),” said Ted Smith, chairman and CEO of DeWitt and Associates. “We do work down in Branson and Joplin; we work in the Springfield Underground.” DeWitt and Associates has maintained its relationship with St. John’s for more than 30 years. “In the medical field you’re always doing projects that involve new technology, and you have to sit down with the owners and the design team to figure out what they really need,” said DeWitt President Jerry L. Hackleman. “In terms of equipment, everybody’s going for state-of-the-art. So when you get into the surgery rooms and cardiac cath labs, there are always new processes that you have to first learn what it is, and then figure out how you’re going to get it in there.” While Smith is adamant that DeWitt and Associates is capable of projects in many fields in addition to health care, he doesn’t overlook the importance of health care to the success of the company. “Springfield is a competitive market, and we have been fortunate that our health care industry has always sustained us. We have always been involved in health care. We have been in hospitals all over southwest Missouri,” Smith said. “This has been a real strength to us because there is some specialty to understanding everything from how it’s estimated to how it’s built to how we work with them, because in a functioning hospital the owners are very concerned with dust and debris and where people are walking.” Several years ago, Smith added, the company built a neonatal intensive care unit by thirds and kept the hospital operating during the process. “Understanding what needs to be done in these situations and being able to maintain these relationships are what we feel are our main strengths,” Smith said. Those are strengths that have sustained the company for many years. DeWitt’s 2004 revenues were in the $73 million range. Project Manager M. Elise Crain said other strengths of the company are its ability to adapt and its willingness to try new methods. “Years ago we had the first concrete pump in town. We did the first post tension project in town. We have always been innovative in both equipment and in processes, which has been helpful to us,” Crain said. The company is also venturing into green building, which focuses on environmentally sound choices during the construction process. DeWitt and Associates is the general contractor for renovations at the Discovery Center. The project is Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certified through the U.S. Green Building Council. “We’ve done all of the work at the Discovery Center. They weren’t afraid to ask us to do the first green building in Springfield and we weren’t afraid to try it, because we have faith in our ability to adapt and change and find new ways to do things,” she said. While DeWitt and Associates is constantly searching for new avenues of growth, it respects its long-standing relationships and what they have meant to their company. “We have moved along with the growth of Springfield, and we only work in Southwest Missouri. We feel that with our owners (clients), that allows us to make things happen for them,” Smith said. [[In-content Ad]]
